Select Page

Demonstrators pause outside police headquarters to hold “Black Lives Matter” candlelight vigil

After eleven days of marching across Milwaukee in protest over the unlawful death of George Floyd by Minnesota police, demonstrators took a brief pause on June 8 to hold a memorial gathering on the doorstep of the Milwaukee Police Department’s (MPD) Administration building.

The Black Lives Matter candlelight vigil was organized as an opportunity for members of the public to come together and express support for black men in the community who were killed due to police violence – simply because of their skin color.

Several speakers also shared their personal journeys and hardships from police brutality during the event, while offering words of encouragement and methods for navigating the institutional racism that people of color experience daily.

“Tonight was about healing. Tonight was about making sure that people get to reflect on everybody’s stories, to reflect on the people’s names, to reflect on everything’s that going on,” said Solana Patterson Ramos, an event organizer.

As MPD officers watched the peaceful vigil from a distance, the crowd of a couple hundred stood quietly in the street as the sky’s light faded. When darkness had finally fallen, candles were lit and participants joined in expressing a hope for the near future that would see the nation live up to its Constitutional promise of equal justice for all.

© Photo

Lee Matz

These headline links feature the daily news reports published by Milwaukee Independent about the George Floyd protests, the revival of the Black Lives Matter movement that followed, and their impact on the local community in for 8 months from May to December of 2020.

About The Author

Editor

This is a general byline. The news we report is our focus, not getting credit. This generic attribution is used when our staff wants to make sure the attention goes where it belongs, on the story. Our mission is to inspire and transform the Milwaukee community. Publishing requires an author, so this account is used to keep the spotlight is on our coverage.